Charlecote Park

Bathed in autumn light, Charlecote is a beautiful sight from the parklandJana Eastwood

Look out for the deer when you walk through the parklandJana Eastwood

Early morning visitors are rewarded with the most beautiful views across the parklandJana Eastwood

The architecture takes second place to the colourful foliage at this time of yearJana Eastwood

Important notice -

Please note that if you wish to visit and see the house decorated for Christmas on weekends in December, you will need to book a timed slot in advance. Scroll down to "What's On" to book your time slot.

Stroll through the parkland as the trees take on warm firelight colours, kick through fallen leaves and pop a shiny conker in your pocket. Early visitors enjoy tranquil misty mornings. Your visit helps us look after this landscape that Shakespeare would have known.

Get closer to nature with your family at Charlecote this autumn, whatever the weather. Leave the tech behind, dig out the wellies and the woollies, and discover the joys of kicking through the leaves in the parkland.

Eating and shopping

Treat yourself to your favourite cake or a hot coffee after a stroll around the parkland - we reckon it's worth the calories when every penny helps us look after Charlecote. We're open from 9am - a bacon butty is always tempting.

Browse for ornamental trees and shrubs and lots of colour for your garden, all in peat-free compost. Look out for something special like a tulip tree or a mulberry tree.We also stock the best of the National Trust's gardening ranges, Whichford pots and bags of peat-free compost.

Our work

Follow the progress of our two-year project. We're developing the Wood Yard at the very heart of Charlecote into a much-needed new café, improving our car park and welcome area, and installing an environmentally-friendly heating system.

From planting wild flowers to opening up historic outbuildings, the raffle tickets you buy at Charlecote help fund vital conservation projects - and give you a chance to win fantastic cash prizes.Find out what your donations or a legacy could mean to us.

History

The Lucy family's Charlecote roots go back to the days of King Richard I. Find out more about the Shakespeare poaching legend, the influence of flamboyant "Bachelor" George and Mary Elizabeth Lucy, the Victorian bride who created the Charlecote you see today.

Get involved

Our lovely volunteers contributed 41,479 hours to Charlecote last year and we couldn't manage without them. Join our friendly team and share your love of Charlecote with our visitors. Find new opportunities here.

Overview

A Victorian home set in landscaped deer park

Overlooking the river Avon on the edge of Shakespeare’s Stratford, Charlecote Park has been part of this corner of rural Warwickshire for centuries. Still the Lucy family home after 900 years, you can explore the vision of the Victorian owners George Hammond Lucy and his wife, the formidable Mary Elizabeth, who extended their home and filled it with treasures from their European travels.

Linger in the rooms open to our visitors in the central portion of the house to discover more about the collection brought together by generations of the family whose tastes, lifestyle and varied fortunes are all reflected here

Today, the kitchen is brought to life in cooking and costume. Across the courtyard you can explore the laundry and brewhouse which once hummed with the activity of a busy working estate. Discover the stables which house the family’s carriage collection, each with its own story to tell.

Stroll through the gardens that Mary Elizabeth loved so dearly, from the formal parterre to the shady woodland garden with rare plants and borders full of colourful herbaceous planting.

Picnic, play and wander through the wider parkland, inspired by ‘Capability’ Brown, with views across the river Avon. Our historic herds of Jacob sheep and fallow deer roam freely here and you can see them at close quarters all year round.Please note: the house is closed on Wednesdays

What is Gift Aid?

Most of our places run the Gift Aid on Entry scheme at their admission points.

Under this scheme, if you're not a member you have the choice of two entry tickets:

Gift Aid Admission

Standard Admission

If the place runs Gift Aid on Entry, we'll offer you a clear choice between the Gift Aid Admission prices and the Standard Admission prices at the admission point. It's entirely up to you which ticket you choose.

Gift Aid Admission includes a 10 per cent or more voluntary donation. Gift Aid Admissions let us reclaim tax on the whole amount paid - an extra 25 per cent - potentially a very significant boost to our places' funds.

An extra £1 paid under the scheme can be worth over £3 to the National Trust as shown below:

Please note...

Opening times

Important notice -

Please note that if you wish to visit and see the house decorated for Christmas on weekends in December, you will need to book a timed slot in advance. Scroll down to "What's On" to book your time slot.

Please note...

Very limited tickets for Wednesday house guided tours, not bookable in advance. Numbers depend on available volunteers.
On Wednesdays during Warwickshire school holidays there will be no guided tours. The house will be open from 11am to 3.30pm, ground floor only, please obtain a ticket from visitor reception.